Pre-monsoon work: Sena corporator disagrees with Uddhav on progress

Although Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray says the civic body is conducting pre-monsoon work satisfactorily, his party's corporators do not share his views.

Sena corporator Mohan Lokegaonkar, who is also chairman of the works committee in the civic body, said he was not satisfied with the desilting of water drains. "Even 5% work has not been completed," he said on Tuesday. Last Thursday, Thackeray said that 12% of the work had been completed.

Lokegaonkar visited a few places at Vile Parle and even took photos of nullahs (drains), which were full of garbage."I saw plants growing in one nullah. This proves that no contractor has cleaned it in the last six months," added the Sena corporator.

When asked why his statement contradicted Thackeray's, Lokegaonkar said, "The civic administration must have misguided him. My party leaders went on a pre-planned nullah visit. They have shown him only those portions where work has been started."

Last Thursday, Uddhav Thackeray visited eight nullahs in the eastern suburbs to review the work along with mayor Shraddha Jadhav, civic standing committee chairman Rahul Shewale and officials from the BMC's storm water drain department. "There must be some confusion over the work. The work has begun and will be completed before May 31," said Shewale.

Mumbai has around 200km of major nullahs and 129km of minor nullahs. The city has 1,986km of roadside drains. The BMC allots the contract for annual desilting of the city's nullahs once in two years. In 2009 and 2010, it spent over Rs90 crore, while for the next two years (2011-12 and 2012-13), it has sanctioned more than Rs131 crore.